Strangers
by TheNorthernBelle
Summary: AU Caskett prompt fic. Kate wonders at the different turns her life could have taken. Rick is only too happy to oblige her with a re-write.
1. Chapter 1

_See Author's Note at the end._

**Strangers**

After the week she had been having, Detective Kate Beckett had felt the need to give in to the cliché of having a drink after a bad day at work. Her plan was to go in, have just one drink, then go home and go straight to bed.

But two hours later found her seated at the bar, still nursing her first drink, and cursing the man who she had been trying to catch for the past nine days. Her team knew he was responsible for the death of those twin girls, but they still could not prove it. The killer was staying two steps ahead of them and the stress of the case was finally taking its toll on Kate. She needed a break, but she wouldn't let herself take one, not while that murderer was still out there. She could still see the murder board in her head, her mind searching it for some hidden clue, some tiny detail that she may have overlooked.

"You look like you could use something stronger," said a husky male voice to her left as a glass of what smelled like whiskey was pushed into her field of vision.

"No thanks," she said stiffly.

"To what, the drink or the company?" the stranger questioned.

"Both."

Kate felt him shrug. "More for me then," the guy said as he took the drink back. "Must have been some day if you're turning down free alcohol. Want to talk about it?"

"No."

"They say that confession is good for the soul."

Kate tried to focus on something other than the man next to her; the ice in her glass, the wood grain on the bar, something. But for some unexplainable reason, she found herself saying, "You ever have one of those days when you just wish you had a different life?"

"Sometimes. But I like where my life is at the moment."

"Well that makes one of us," Kate said as she finally knocked back the rest of her drink. "I could do with a re-write of my life."

"Well now that I can do."

Kate finally turned to face the mystery man and saw the last person she would have ever expected to run into at a bar. Bright blue eyes, a charming smile, and, dare she say it, ruggedly handsome good looks. The most shocking thing was that Kate knew him. Or rather, knew _of_ him.

"Rick Castle," Rick said as he held out his hand.

Kate took it, desperately trying to control her surprise and to school her features into something other than shock. "Castle…you know, that name rings a bell." Not knowing what was coming over her, she threw him a wink.

"Tease," he murmured.

Kate laughed. "I'm –"

Castle held up a hand to stop her. "No, no. You said you wanted a re-write, and I have been known to spin a good story."

Kate gave him a measuring look. "You think you can come up with a good enough second life for me?"

"Is that a challenge?" Castle asked with a quirk of an eyebrow.

"Only if you want it to be," Kate responded.

Castle grinned. "Challenge accepted then."

**Author's Note: Ok, so the idea behind this is simple. Each time Rick and Kate meet, he'll spin a different story for her, about who she could be. But he's also trying to guess her real story. Now here is where you guys come in. Submit an idea for a "second life" for Kate, and I'll write a chapter around it. One of my New Year's resolutions was to write more, so what better way to work on that than a prompt fic? This story won't go anywhere without your help, so send me those ideas!**


	2. Teacher

_Thanks to HannahbananaJane for the idea for this chapter. Enjoy!_

**Teacher**

"So take your best shot," Kate invited Castle, interested to see what he could come up with.

Castle propped his chin up on one fist, taking a moment to study the woman in front of him. She was drop dead gorgeous, but he was trying to look past the obvious to find clues that could tell him something about her. And he was totally trying not to look down her shirt, because that would definitely ruin the dashing vibe he was giving off.

She had said she had had a bad day, but going by the dark circles under her eyes he was guessing it had been a number of bad days. So a stressful job. He had also noticed some streaks of color on her fingertips and palms, maybe from some markers. He smiled as an idea came to him.

"_But Miss April, we don't want to do math!" little Charlie protested, waving a worksheet in the air._

"_Yeah, we want to color!" Claire cheered._

"_No, we want to have recess!" argued Steve, sticking his tongue out at Claire._

"_Nuh-uh, we wanna have story time," Suzy corrected._

"_Hey Miss April, do you wanna see my underwear?"_

"_Sorry, Charlie, we have to do math, it's important. But after that it will be time for recess, Steve, and then when we come back we can have story time, Suzy, and then Claire, you can draw a great picture based on the story. And no Ryan, I certainly do not want to see your underwear, and neither does the rest of the class," April answered smoothly, having a response for every child. It was a skill she had perfected in her two years as a first grade teacher. _

"_But they're Spider-Man underwear!" Ryan protested._

"_The answer is still no!"_

Kate cracked a smile at the story, despite her best intentions not to. "A teacher, huh?"

"You seem the kid type," Castle reasoned.

Kate gave a noncommittal shrug of her shoulders. She had briefly entertained the thought of being a teacher when she was younger, but that had been _before._

"So what do you think?" Castle pressed.

"Sometimes it does seem like I handle a bunch of kids, but no, that's not even close to what I do. Not exciting enough."

"Hmm, I thought I was coming up with a re-write for you, not trying to guess what you actually do."

"Well, you are now, admit it. The mystery intrigues you," Kate pointed out as she got to her feet. "We'll see how long it takes you to figure it out."

"Challenge number two accepted," Castle smirked. "But wait, what if I never see you again?" he gasped, mock despair showing on his face.

"I don't see that happening," Kate replied, wondering what had come over her. She never flirted like this, let alone with New York's most famous writer. "I'll see you around, Castle."

"I'm sure you will," Castle called out to her as the door closed behind her figure. Already his mind was spinning with stories about the mystery woman. And somewhere in there he would find the real one, he was sure of it.


	3. Russian

**Russian**

Beckett had finally gotten to the point where she didn't break into a goofy grin at the memory of meeting Castle when she ran into him again. And of course it was in the absolute worst place, with the worst sense of timing ever.

"April!" Castle exclaimed, falling back on the name he had made up for her the last time. His eyes traveled between her face and the store she had just stepped out from, the question clear in his eyes.

"Guess again," Beckett challenged, twitching her jacket closer to her, making sure her badge was covered. She was proud she wasn't blushing, for Castle was doing enough of that for the both of them.

It's not like she had run into him outside of a sex shop on purpose after all. The only clue she had in her current case was a pair of handmade leather cuffs from this particular store, and she had gone there in hopes of getting an ID on the vic.

Castle continued to gape, images of the woman in front of him scantily clad and speaking Russian running through his head. "Uhh…what're you doing here?"

"Now that would spoil the re-write you're undoubtedly coming up with right this minute," Beckett teased as she sidestepped around him. "And I'm sure it's very…detailed."

"You have no idea," Castle drawled, finally snapping back to his usual witty self.

"Care to share?" Beckett asked, arching an eyebrow as she dangled the temptation in front of him.

"Well…it involves Russian and your name being Natasha," Castle finally divulged, dying to know if he was right. He doubted it. She didn't seem _that_ type. But a man could still fantasize.

"Not even close on the name," Beckett replied. "Better luck next time, Castle." She turned to walk away, but stopped and looked back over her shoulder. "But you're right about the Russian," she shared, throwing him a wink.

Castle's eyebrows shot up towards his hairline as he watched her saunter away.


	4. Model

_I know it's been a while since I updated this, but work has been so crazy and my muse was MIA for a while. Hopefully I can post a few more parts soon, but I'm not making any promises. _

**Model**

Castle had a book signing scheduled at one of New York's fanciest hotels later that night, but he had decided to book a room so he could have some fun if the opportunity arose. With six hours still to go until said signing, he headed down to the pool for some sun and "sight seeing." Lucky he did because he literally ran into the sight that had been on his mind lately.

"Hey, watch it!" the stunning brunette scolded, snatching for the towel she had dropped when he bumped into her. "You – Castle!" The towel dangled from her grasp, momentarily forgotten.

Castle took full advantage of her surprise, taking in the tiny red bikini and her long long legs. She had obviously just come from the pool; water droplets glistened tantalizingly on her skin, and one in particular was trailing down between her…

"Eyes up here, writer boy," she ordered.

Castle snapped his mouth shut, eyes finally meeting hers. "Funny meeting you here, Natasha," he said easily, a smooth smile gracing his face.

"Not Natasha," she told him, smirking slightly, finally wrapping her towel around her waist.

Castle fought to keep his eyes in the appropriate area. "Right. Okay, let's see then…" He trailed off, taking in the suit again, the make-up, the sexy everything. "Oh! Please tell me there's a bikini photo shoot going on down at the pool and that you're part of it…Brittney?"

"Do I really look like a Brittney?" she asked, weight going back on one foot as she placed her hands on her hips.

"Maybe?"

"Wrong again, on both counts," she informed him, though a tiny part of her was secretly pleased that he thought she could be a model. "You'll have to do better than that if you ever want to figure it out," she told him as she continued her way down the hall. Ryan and Espo would be waiting for her out in the surveillance van. They had been tracking down a lead on a local drug lord who liked to frequent the hotel and they had needed someone to get close to him to try and find out his plans for the evening. Espo had volunteered her, saying she was the only one hot enough to get close to him, and she had had every intention of throttling him after her undercover work was over. But now, maybe she wouldn't have to.

"I'll get it one day!" Castle called after her.

"You can try!" Kate shot back as she waved to him over her shoulder before disappearing around the corner.


	5. Writer

_If anyone has any ideas for Rick to come up with for Kate, don't be afraid to let me know!_

**Writer**

"See Kate, aren't you glad you came out with me tonight?" Lanie pushed, grinning at her friend.

Kate surveyed the club, taking in the perfect balance between elegance and a party-like atmosphere. "All right, yes," she finally conceded, taking another sip of her drink. "But how did you manage to get us on the VIP list?" The exclusive club had only been open for a week, and there was already a waiting list to just get in the door, never mind getting upstairs to the VIP level.

"Girl, I know people," Lanie said with a wink. "Unlike you, I actually have a life outside of work."

As always, Kate opened her mouth to deny that accusation, but Lanie's raised brow and her finger pointing to the small notebook Kate had brought with her in case she had any epiphanies about the case she was working stopped her from wasting her breath. That and catching sight of a familiar face heading their way. "Oh no, Lanie look we need to –" But it was too late.

"Fancy seeing you here," Rick greeted, flashing his most charming smile. His gaze slid over to Lanie, and his smile brightened further, though Kate didn't see how that was even possible. "And you're here with a friend. Hi, Rick Castle," he said unnecessarily, holding out his hand.

Lanie stared at him and Kate in shock for a few moments before finally taking his hand, the most dazed expression on her face. "Yeah. Yeah, I know," she said hoarsely.

Rick glanced at Kate, asking, "So do I have to write her a story too, or do I get to know her name?"

"Hold up," Lanie ordered, sliding her hand from Rick's to hold it up in the universal _stop_ gesture. "You two know each other?!" The look she gave Kate promised revenge for not being informed of this sooner, but also promised begging for every single minute detail later.

"I'm certainly trying to," Rick said, winking at Kate. "So, last time I was wrong about Brittany, so how about…" he trailed off, eyes flickering between Kate and Lanie. Kate didn't miss the appraising look he gave her (he probably didn't mean for her to miss it) and was suddenly thankful for the strapless purple dress Lanie had talked her into wearing.

"I know!" Rick exclaimed, snapping his fingers. "You're both here to write a review on this place for a paper or magazine, because you're the best lifestyle writer they have…Felicity?"

Kate actually snorted. "Felicity? You're losing your touch, Castle."

"What? You're not a Brittany, so I'm going with uncommon names to match your uncommon beauty." He winked again.

Kate just rolled her eyes, though she was glad for the dim lighting so he and Lanie couldn't see her blush. If she was blushing, that is. Because she wasn't.

"Mind explaining what's going on?" Lanie interjected, bringing the focus back to her. "Her name definitely isn't Felicity, it's –"

"No, don't!" Kate and Rick cried out simultaneously, Kate going so far as to reach out and grab Lanie by the wrist. All the ME could do was stare at them, raising an eyebrow so high it threatened to disappear under her bangs.

"It's a thing we do," Rick explained, his grin turning a bit sheepish. "Or I do. I try to guess her story."

"Hasn't even come close yet," Kate teased. "But he has come up with some intriguing ideas."

"It's how my mind works," Rick said, tapping the side of his head. He turned his head when his name was shouted across the room, waving back at whoever was calling for him. "Ladies, it was a pleasure. I'll figure it out next time, I'm sure."

"We'll see," was all Kate said, watching him walk away, wondering…

Wondering what, she wasn't sure. Lanie wouldn't let her follow that line of thought through to the end.

"Katherine Houghton Beckett," Lanie said in _that_ tone voice, eyes gleaming. "Explain. Now!"

Her excited squeal a few minutes later actually turned a lot of heads in the club.


End file.
